Newtown Primary School (High Peak Federation)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Newtown Primary School is a warm and welcoming place. Pupils enjoy their learning and are happy to come to school. They feel safe and are kept safe here.

Pupils care about one another and treat each other with the utmost kindness and respect. Right from the start of the early years, they learn to take turns and listen carefully to their teachers and their classmates.

Staff have high expectations of what pupils can do and achieve.

Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They say their lessons are interesting. Pupils work hard and achieve well across the curriculum.

Pupils and staff follow the core 'RESPECT' values.

The school is a c...alm and orderly place. Pupils behave well.

Leaders manage behaviour effectively. Bullying is rare. If it happens, pupils are confident that staff will take action to deal with it.

Pupils know that if they have concerns staff are always available to talk to them.

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. One typical parent comment was: 'I could not be happier with this school.

The ethos is wonderful, the staff are nurturing and supportive and clearly happy in their roles. My children are both happy and thriving here.'

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The curriculum has been carefully designed and is ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders have ensured that the knowledge they want pupils to learn has been logically sequenced so that pupils revisit and embed key concepts over time. For example, in history in Year 2, pupils study objects from the time of the Vikings, and in Year 4 they learn how historians use artefacts and ancient texts to understand life in ancient Egypt.

Pupils revisit what they have learned through regular memory tasks.

This helps pupils know more and remember more. Teachers check to find out what pupils know. However, in a small number of subjects the work given to pupils is not matched precisely enough to their ability.

As a result, pupils are not able to make as much progress as they should.

Reading is a priority at this school. Pupils read carefully chosen, engaging texts in their English lessons.

Pupils read in many other subjects, including geography. As a result, pupils love reading and are highly motivated to read. Staff are trained to teach the systematic phonics programme to those pupils at an early stage of reading.

Daily phonics sessions are highly structured. Teachers read daily to pupils. The school encourages pupils to explore different authors and to choose non-fiction books by visiting the local library.

Staff quickly identify pupils with SEND. Plans to support their learning are clear and teachers use them well. Pupils with SEND access the full curriculum.

Teachers adapt their teaching to meet these pupils' needs. Staff receive training to provide well-planned support in lessons. Pupils who struggle to manage their behaviour are given the help they need.

Children in the early years make a positive start to their education. The school makes sure there is a sharp focus on developing children's communication and language. Children demonstrate well-developed social skills when playing together, for example in the mud kitchen, or petting the three chickens, Spider-Chicken, Vanessa and Gloria.

Teachers use a range of activities to develop early literacy and mathematics knowledge.

Most pupils attend well. The school has effective systems for ensuring that pupils attend school regularly and on time.

The school works closely with families to improve the attendance of some pupils who are absent from school too often. This is beginning to have an impact.

The curriculum provides many opportunities to experience the world beyond New Mills.

Pupils recall museum visits, visiting outdoor activity centres and attending residential visits fondly. A wide range of sports, such as basketball, football and handball, as well as violin lessons and art clubs, develop, stretch and nurture pupils' interests. Pupils are clear about why the school's values are important.

This helps to develop their character. Pupils learn how to keep themselves healthy and safe. They learn about the importance of good mental health and healthy relationships.

Pupils learn about other cultures and faiths. However, pupils do not have a good recall or understanding of British values. Pupils fundraise in the local community.

They develop their leadership skills as school councillors, reading buddies and anti-bullying ambassadors.

Governors have a good understanding of what is working well in the school and what needs to improve. They hold leaders to account.

Staff say leaders consider their workload and well-being. Staff enjoy working at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, the work given to pupils is not challenging enough. As a result, pupils do not develop their knowledge and skills as well as they might. The school should ensure that pupils are given work appropriate to their age as they work through the curriculum.

Pupils do not have a secure understanding of British values, including tolerance and democracy. As a result, they are not fully prepared for life in modern Britain. The school should make sure that all pupils gain deep knowledge of British values and their distinctive place in society.

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